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    The Arrangement
    The Arrangement
    The Arrangement
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Arrangement

    Written by Mary Balogh

    Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A mesmerizing story of passionate awakening and redemption, Mary Balogh’s new novel unites a war hero consigned to darkness with a remarkable woman who finds her own salvation by showing him the light of love.

    Desperate to escape his mother’s matchmaking, Vincent Hunt, Viscount Darleigh, flees to a remote country village. But even there, another marital trap is sprung.

    So when Miss Sophia Fry’s intervention on his behalf finds her unceremoniously booted from her guardian’s home, Vincent is compelled to act. He may have been blinded in battle, but he can see a solution to both their problems: marriage.

    At first, quiet, unassuming Sophia rejects Vincent’s proposal. But when such a gloriously handsome man persuades her that he needs a wife of his own choosing as much as she needs protection from destitution, she agrees. Her alternative is too dreadful to contemplate.
    But how can an all-consuming fire burn from such a cold arrangement? As friendship and camaraderie lead to sweet seduction and erotic pleasure, dare they believe a bargain born of desperation might lead them both to a love destined to be?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateAug 27, 2013
    ISBN9781470340001
    The Arrangement
    Author

    Mary Balogh

    New York Times bestselling, multi-award-winning author Mary Balogh grew up in Wales, land of sea and mountains, song and legend. She brought music and a vivid imagination with her when she came to Canada to teach. There she began a second career as a writer of books that always end happily and always celebrate the power of love.

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    Reviews for The Arrangement

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      Vincent Hunt, Viscount Darleigh was blinded at the age of 17, during his first hour of combat in the war. He spent the first several years recuperating with friends of his, all members of 'The Survivors Club'. Once he was able to leave he went home where his mother and sisters proceeded to smother him with love. They were trying so hard to set him up with a wife that they invited a woman and her parents to his home knowing that the visit would end with a betrothal. When Vincent realized this he had his friend/valet quietly pack a bag for him and get the carriage and horses ready. Then he ran away from home! It was during this time that he met Sophia. Sophia was a small rather unremarkable young woman who was living with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. They treated her worse than they would treat their servants. They gave her no consideration whatsoever than to feed her and give her the cousin's cast off clothes. She had extremely low self esteem and really didn't expect anyone to treat her with any respect. One night the aunt, uncle, and cousin were setting a trap to snare Vincent into a marriage that would greatly benefit them when Sophia realized the trap was set to be sprung and she intervened and saved Vincent. Vincent learned the next morning that Sophia had been thrown out of her home during the night and was at the church hoping to find work or money to travel to another town. Vincent went to her aid and ended up proposing to her. This is a wonderful love story, well written, with lovable main characters and a great story line. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and Vincent and Sophia's story. I look forward to reading more of 'The Survivors Club' books.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this historical romance. It was a fast moving story and kept me guessing at what would happen next. I've given this a 5* out of 5*. I look forward to reading more of her work. flag
    • 5/5
      Vincent, Viscount Darleigh, was blinded in battle during the Napoleonic Wars. He is much loved and well looked after, but...smothered. His mother and sisters treat him like an invalid - a well loved invalid, but an invalid nonetheless. When they find a bride to look after him, he runs.

      Sophia is nobody, just a quiet mouse of a girl. Nobody expects much of anything from her, but she can't bear to watch Vincent lured into compromising her vicious, superficial cousin. What will happen when Sophia dares to intervene?

      I especially liked the emotion. I cried. It was so well told, and so well scripted that I couldn't help but be swept away.

      I loved that the author never tried to suggest that Vincent's sight would come back. I loved that the author never pretended the heroine was actually a beauty all along.
    • 4/5
      This is the second book in the fun Survivors’ club, and I just love seeing friendships in romance both men and female friendships are so fascanating and endearing to witness. Mary Balogh is an author is so rich in her historical detail and I feel like everytime I read her, I feel like I have jumped right back in time and is one of the best to read for regency romance. And as a plus for this book, the audio format is narrated by Rosalyn Landor and I love listening to her with historical romance especially if its featured among the countries in the UK.In this book we have a story where we get to one of my favorites of the Survivors’ Club. Viscount Rayleigh, is one of the survivor’s of the war who suffered a physical blow more than the others. He ended up losing his sight and has had to learn to live his life without his sight. He has his personal valet, who is a great friend to him that is his partner in crime of sorts. But he needs his freedom and space from the women in his family who are suffocating him with their protectiveness and determination to get him married. After meeting the woman they want for him, he packs his bags and runs away from the women in his family and to find some peace and quiet in his father’s home where he grew up, out in the country where he can find some solitude. But what he doesn’t plan on is being surrounded by the towns people or being manipulated by a certain family who are determined to have him marry their daughter even if that means tricking him into being the responsible man. But then he meets a young woman who he talks with and he is intrigued. But when she saves him from disaster with the machinations of her family, he offers her marriage when she is thrown out of home because of her protecting him. But he knows he needs to marry, and that they have become friends of sort and he has high hopes for a practical arrangement. But he doesn’t plan on falling in love with his bride and not wanting their practical arrangement to end.The Arrangement is such a well written and richly detailed historical romance that I quickly became entrenched in. Now I was really excited for the hero of the story. We saw him in book one and I admired him SO much. He hasn’t let his blindness get him down at all. I love how positive he is about life, he has a confidence that is sexy and I admired his strength in facing his future in the manner that he does. He is probably one of the most upbeat and happier of the Surivors Club and I was endeared with his attitiude towards life. The heroine, Sophia, is one I really loved seeing come out of her shell. Now she hasn’t been treated right by hardly any member of her family. And her current situation is pretty horrible. She is referred to as the “mouse” and treated more like a servant than as a part of the family. Her parents are dead and has had to rely on her extended family for support. But she wants more out of her life than the drudgery she has come into. At first she doesn’t want to accept the arrangement with Vincent, she fears taking advantage of his kindness but she also could have her dreams if she marries him and not having to worry about being on the street. As they build on their friendship, and learn the value of their marriage, they also start to feel more than just friendship and sex, there is an emotional intimacy that develops that is consumming and one that neither of them want to give up on.I adored seeing these two making a go of this marriage that at first is all about practicality, but they have a great fondness for each other. I adore marriages of convenience, and Mary Balogh always does them so very well. In this book we see how wonderful these two get along, and how wonderful they are for each other. Both of them are there for each other in such a beautiful way, and really builds on the romance. The dynamics of their relationship kept me totally into this story and I loved every moment of it. Sophia is always working on ways to make Vincent’s life easier and so that he can experience things in life that he misses out on from being blind. And Vincent is working on helping Sophia build back her self confidence and her talents for her artwork and writing children stories.Overall I found the Arrangement, to be a wonderful romance that won my heart and took my breath away with his vitality, vibrancy and authenticity of the historical setting….a true gem!!
    • 3/5
      second time. little long.
    • 5/5
      Just lovely the way Sofie wins herself and Vincent onto a full life together
    • 4/5
      This book was pretty amazing, the romance between Vincent and Sophia was slow in coming but fairly sprung off the pages towards the end. The uncertainty between the two and the arrangement that brought them together as a couple was extraordinary. Sophia is a strong woman, but she's been beaten down by life, first with a gambling father and an uncertain future, then with her aunt Mary - who could have cared less that she was around, and with her aunt in Barton Coombs - who cared even less than aunt Mary. She finds Vincent, or more like Vincent stumbles upon her good graces and saves her from a life of living on the street. Together with their humor and good nature they barrel through life and take its punches with bravado and cunning.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book, the story is wonderful and the characters are wonderful as well.
    • 4/5
      This is a typical romance in many ways and not so typical in others. We have the rich, newly minted viscount trying to avoid his marriage pushing family and the destitute by good hearted young woman who we all know is just perfect for him. But instead of making them hate each other at first sight our hero is blind! He can't see our heroine so he can't hate her at first sight, in fact he seems to form a liking for her at first hear.How different.She is also, from all descriptions, not a beauty! All of these deviations from the norm made this a really enjoyable novel and a truly delightful escape from my normal reading material. The characters were very well developed and given the genre, quite believable. I enjoyed the story and loved the ending. What more can you say for a romance novel? These two were certainly a couple to root for.
    • 3/5
      I try to be thorough when I write reviews, so I started with the first book in the series, "The Proposal." Honestly, without exaggeration, I could not care less whether the couple in that book ever worked things out. I had zero interest in the heroine, the hero didn't do it for me, and frankly, the writing wasn't fantastic. Under ordinary circumstances, I probably wouldn't have chosen to move on to Book 2, "The Arrangement." Why, when the first book was so.... bleck?I'm glad I did, though. While it isn't my favorite book, (not even my favorite by Mary Balogh), it wasn't nearly as bad as the first one. For a start, I actually finished this one. I also liked the characters much better. The writing was tighter as well. I liked Sophia (a.k.a. Sophie) and I liked Vincent. That said, there were a few things I did not enjoy. The heroine recovers from an entire lifetime's worth of traumatic and neglectful upbringing in the space of a few months. A makeover, a bit of sex, and suddenly she's mentally and emotionally capable of assuming the role of Viscountess Darleigh. Huh. She literally went from being anonymous in a small town to Mistress of a large manor house. She should bottle that self esteem juice, because she'd make a mint.Another gripe? The sex. Now, I'm not especially fond of highly graphic scenes. I like some detail, but I don't need to hear about everything and I don't need salty talk. (What can I say? I like a nice florid metaphor.) The scenes in this book were bland. Bland, and so vaguely written that the first time I read it, I wasn't at all certain whether our dear heroine had actually climaxed. Now, reason dictates that in a fantasy-genre like romance, she HAS to climax or else this problem has to be rectified later, but it's never really mentioned again. I just assume that once they found their groove, she got what she needed. I would have liked a little more specificity.The plot didn't seem to have a strong central thrust. (Perhaps the wrong choice of words after the sex quibbling?) Once the two of them marry, all their problems were relatively small and very easily resolved. No lingering doubts of her being a gold-digger. She reunites with the family she wants to reunite with and she shows up the family she wants to thumb her nose at. The slight (and I mean very slight) misunderstanding between Sophie and Vincent is resolved in a straightforward conversation. And the guy that once broke teenaged Sophia's heart? Vincent punches him in the nose after tricking him into fisticuffs in the dark. And that's it. As a result, the book seems to lack any real climax or conclusion. They just go about their business. It's like running to the corner store and picking up milk, bread, and a happily ever after. No big deal.It's not a bad book. It's certainly better than the one preceding it and while I won't go out of my way to read the next one, I wouldn't object either. One of the other reviewers called this book "gentle." I cannot think of a better way to describe it. It IS gentle. There is no raging drama. No outrageous angst. No hot or kinky sex. It's just two people falling in love and I can get behind that. It's the kind of romance novel I could hand my grandmother without blushing.
    • 4/5
      A very sweet story with an interesting blind hero. Will probably read more in this Survivor series.
    • 3/5
      Too much of the strife in this story was entirely unnecessary for my taste. Balogh tried to build a case to justify it, but really the characters were just foolish not to have a 20 second conversation that would relieve them both of undue anxiety and emotional turmoil. I could tolerate it up to a point and still be enjoying the rest of the happenings, but it became a bit ridiculous at a certain point and started to drag the story down a bit. The characters and plot beyond that were decent though.
    • 5/5
      This was amazingly sweet, and Sophie and Vincent were made for each other. She helped him become independent and not trapped by his blindness, and he helped bring her out of her shell and showed her her worth.
    • 5/5
      I originally won the paperback. Couldn’t complete this version due to lengthy chapters with no breaks. I gave it a second chance, when I checked it out in my Libby app. I’m so glad I did! The chapters had nice spacing between paragraphs and dialogue which made it more comfortable to read. The innocent, loving relationship between The Viscount and The Viscountess Darleigh reminded me that Sweet Historical Fiction Romance is one of my favorite genres ?
    • 4/5
      Must read more in this Survivors series. Really enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      My second book in the series to read, it’s also the second book of the Survivor’s Club series overall. It’s got a bit of a different tone than book three that I enjoyed, and the characters stood out in a different light.I liked that this book had a gentler feel to it than the previous volume I read. Not to say that the fact of Vincent’s blindness and Sophie’s dire financial straits aren’t heavy and presented with the requisite seriousness and drama. Yet, I think that there’s a lighter, gentler romantic air to this one. That was a nice change of pace.I think a lot of that lighter feel can be chalked up to the characters themselves. Vincent has an attitude that I could only dream of having in a similar situation. He takes his blindness in stride and gets on with his life with a minimum of fuss or drama. There are occasional moments where panic attacks occur, but he meets the challenge in his life with strength of will I can only admire.Sophie also shined. Life throws a hell of a curve ball her way; if not for Vincent, she would have been in a very drastic situation. Past emotional trauma also makes for a damaged soul. Yet, her heart is big enough to take in Vincent with all his problems as well as her own. I liked that she didn’t dwell on her hardship-filled life; she got past it quick and looked at the positive that occurred when fate wove her life’s path with Vincent’s.There were occasional forays into eye-rolling clichés. The whole showdown in the dark thing, I felt, was really unnecessary. Yet, unlike book 3, I didn’t feel that they weighed down this book. The sweet, sweet romance and the characterizations for our leads more than make up for any clichés that might have occurred.I adored this installment for the Survivor’s Club. The romance was tender, and our lead characters strong despite the trauma. Even the odd cliché didn’t detract from my enjoyment; I still was enthralled by this tender romance. Highly recommended for lovers of this genre.
    • 3/5
      "He felt the blood drain from his head, leaving it cold and clammy. He felt the breath cold in his nostrils and so thin that there seemed not enough of it to inhale. He felt all the terror of the unending darkness, of the sure knowledge that if he closed his eyes, as he did now, and opened them again, as he did not, he would still be blind. Always and forever."

      "He would live his life. He would live it to the full. He would make something of it and of himself. He would not give in to either depression or hopelessness."
    • 4/5
      I've been a fan of Mary Balogh since the 80's when I started reading her traditional regencies. This is the second book in the Survivor's Club series. And again Balogh did not disappoint. Her writing is so solid that I find myself engrossed from the first page. This book tells the story of Vincent Hunt who was blinded in his first battle of the war. Vincent unexpectedly finds himself inheriting a title, money and an estate while he was healing from his injuries. His mother and sisters with the best of intentions took over running the estate and Vincent is finding it difficult to regain control of his life and his estate. And dealing with his disablility has not been easy. His female relations are putting pressure on him to marry and when they invite a young woman and her family for a visit hoping he'll make a proposal, he rebels and runs away to the house he grew up in. I liked the way Balogh portrayed Vincent's blindness. His frustrations, his need for independence, his panic attacks - very realistic.Sophia Fry lives nearby Vincent's family home. She is your typical poor relation who is treated very badly and eventualy thrown out. Vincent proposes a marriage of convenience. Sophia is a great well written character too and I loved how she helped Vincent figure out what he can do in spite of his blindness. Sophia expects that when he feels more independent and self sufficient that he will no longer need her. But along the way they have fallen in love. Good story. I look forward to the next book in the series.
    • 4/5
      Vincent Hunt is blind and being smothered by his mom and sisters. They want him to get married and he runs away rather then marry who they chose for him. He runs to his old home and sense he has become titled the rich family of the neighborhood wants him to marry their daughter and are not above tricking him into doing it. When Sophia who is the cousin of the girl they want him to marry and the poor relation saves him and gets kicked out by her family. Vincent and Sophia make an arrangement and get married. But will they fall in love and see that they are perfect for each other.I loved Vincent when I meet him in The Proposal(book 1 in the series). I love him even more in his own story. You learn how he was blinded in battle and more about him. I loved his personality in the first book and my read on him was right. He is so sweet and kind. He loves music. Vincent has panic attacks and his telling of how it was when he was first blind and at that time deaf was heartbreaking. I can understand how all him and his friends are so bonded together from their experiences. I learned about what it is like to be blind from this book and all the challenges that come with it. I also realized that you take so much for granted when you can see.I love the heroine Sophia. She reminds me a bit of Fanny Price from Mansfield Park. She is small,has low-self esteem,and her family don't treat her well. Her aunts and uncle and cousins are worthless and I can't stand them. Sophia has a rich inner-life and her own thoughts are her best companions(to quote what Jane Austen said of Fanny Price. I thought it fit Sophia so well)until she meets Vincent. She loves to draw and make up stories.Mary Balogh always writes such real characters broken pieces and all. She has such depth to all her characters. Vincent and Sophia's love is of the quiet kind and not a roller coaster of passion like most romance novels. It is not a romantic book and that is what is missing for me. I am a hopeless romantic and wish that Vincent and Sophia's story was such. If you are looking for a romantic story then I can't recommend this book. If you are looking for a book about two broken people finding friendship,freedom,and then love this book is for you.Heat Level:Warm(sex scenes not graphic)and some language
    • 4/5
      Now the "Arrangement" was a bit forced in an otherwise quite moving story of a romance between a cinderella type character and a blind man. Miss Sophia Fry is a great character, told that she was boyish and ugly by her first crush, she is described as a mouse by all and sundry, dressed in hand-me-downs by relatives who regard her as a terrible imposition rather than an asset. She vents her frustration in sketches.Vincent Hunt, Lord Darnleigh is blind, blinded by an accident on the Napoleonic battlefield he needs a wife, but his family have wrapped him in too many layers of care and he cares not for someone who will cope with his issues, instead wanting something more. When accident puts Sophia in his path he realises that they both can win from their situations, as they learn more about each other, this becomes less of an arrangement and more of a romance.I loved this, the two characters really appealed to me, I liked how he had issues with his blindness, panic attacks occasionally, because it made it more realistic, more real to me. I felt sorry for him without letting him away with too much and wanted them both to succeed. I loved how she thought outside of the box to give him as much as she could so he could have something resembling normal. She kept finding freedoms that made him more bound to her, in good ways.I liked this one, look forward to reading more.
    • 3/5
      Got me hooked on Mary Balogh again. This is from the Survivor's club series - a group of 6 men + 1 woman in regency England, who served in the Napoleonic War and suffered an injury.Vincent was blinded in his first battle. He unexpectedly comes into a title and wealth. His mother and sisters move in with him, determined to marry him off to the first woman who will have him. But he will have none of it. While at his country estate, during a social event, Sophia's manipulating cousins try to compromise him with their daughter, but Sophia rescues him - and the cousins respond by throwing her out of the house. What's Vincent to do? He likes her voice, so he convinces her to marry him - and it turns out that she's the perfect wife for him. She doesn't coddle him for his blindness, but instead finds ways for him to be independent.
    • 4/5
      Vincent, blinded in the war, has spent the years since recovering and letting the women in his family run his life. He flees their marriage machinations, returning to the village where he grew up before he inherited the title of viscount. A scheming family tries to arrange for their daughter to be in a compromising position with him, but their destitute cousin, Sophia, foils their plans. When they throw her out, Vincent convinces her to marry him, as she has no other prospects. Over the first few months of marriage, they fall in love. She helps him gain independence, and he helps her reconcile with her relatives.
    • 5/5
      Enjoyed the book and was surprised because it is a very entertaining historical romance. I read more paranormal, military, history and preschool books now. The Arrangement was filled with action, family, challenges and of course happily ever after. I will read the other books in this series.
    • 5/5
      The 2nd book of the Survivor's series focuses on Vincent Hunt, Lord Darleigh. His blindness leaves him at the mercy of his mother and sisters. So, when they conspire to find him a new wife, he runs away with his valet and friend Martin. After spending a couple weeks in the Lake District, Vincent decides to go to his childhood home without realizing that his mother would have already anticipated this move and have the entire city on alert. So, far from the relaxing time he anticipated, he finds himself the center of attention.After a thwarting a scheme to entrap Vincent in marriage, Sophie is thrown out of her relatives home. Realizing that he has caused difficulty but that they are compatible and want many of the same things, Vincent proposes that they marry with the intention of living separate lives once she produces an heir.After a quick wedding in London with several of the other Survivors including the recently wed Hugo, the two settle into their lives and slowly come to realize that their dream is to be together.While this work is a standard genre fiction, Balogh creates strong characters with deep emotional connections that gently unfold while avoiding many of the anachronistic elements in many current historical romances.
    • 5/5
      ‘The Arrangement’ is the second book in Mary Balogh’s seven book ‘The Survivor’s Club’ series. Each book in this series focuses on one member of a closely bound group of Napoleonic War veterans (six men and one woman) who were severely injured and traumatized on the battlefield and now face emotional and physical obstacles as they attempt to reenter English society.

      ‘The Arrangement’ is the story of Vincent Hunt, the youthful Viscount Darleigh, permanently blinded by a cannon blast and Sophia Fry, an imaginative young woman, scarred by a childhood of financial chaos and emotional neglect. Darleigh struggles to adjust to a life of blindness, cope with wrenching panic attacks, and forge a new identity in a world that views him as helpless and inadequate. Sophia, the survivor of a childhood largely devoid of love and financial security, has become a shy observer of life with few feelings of self worth. She reluctantly enters into an arranged marriage (‘The Arrangement’) with Darleigh. This arranged marriage, although hurried and impulsive, becomes the foundation for these two damaged, but profoundly sensitive young people, to rebuild (and recast) their separate identities, redraw the boundaries of friendship and family, and forge a partnership that becomes a bond of sweet and passionate love.

      I particularly enjoyed how Mary Balogh effortlessly draws the reader into the emotional lives of the characters (as she does in all her novels). And added pleasure is how deftly the characters are shown to live in a Balogh created British regency society, well known to all of her fans. Characters from her popular ‘Simply’ and ‘Slightly’ series make appearances or are referred to within the course of the novel.

      ‘The Arrangement’ was an emotionally satisfying love story!

      This ARC copy of The Arrangement was given to me by Random House Publishing Group - Dell in exchange for an honest review. This book is set for publication August 27, 2013.
    • 5/5
      This is the second book of a series that Mary Balogh has recently started. I enjoyed the first book of her series so delighted when I won an ARC from GoodReads. Vincent Hunt, Viscount Darleigh, a war veteran, was injured on his first day in battle when he was seventeen years old. He lost his eye sight permanently. Fortunately, two years later he inherited a title from an uncle who died suddenly. The new found wealth helped him put himself back on his feet with the help of his old time friend, batman and now valet. Vincent’s family loved him and he loved them. But they loved him too much – wanting to coddle him in every way they could. Their recent inclination was to provide him a wife.He fled home with his valet. Vincent reasoned he needed to find himself, learn independence, be himself – he couldn’t do that by being with his family. He and his valet went to one of his pieces of property hoping to escape everyone. But as the old adage says, from frying pan into the fire. He was very nearly ensnared by a young woman, hoping to oblige him to marry her by being found alone without chaperone. But he was saved by an angel, Sophia Fry. Sophia Fry lived with her aunt and uncle as well as her cousin, who was very close to her age. She had lost her parents and was obliged to live with family as a poor relative. Her aunt, her father’s sister, hardly acknowledged her – never by name. She was more or less a servant of the house. Her clothes were cast downs of her cousin. Her cousin, a rather haughty person, was in her third season in London and was unable to snag a titled gentleman there, so when Viscount Darleigh came to their village, she and her parents tried to snag him. They thought it an easy trick sense he was blind and could be put into an uncompromising situation where his honor would dictate he marry her.Sophia followed her cousin and the viscount out in the garden and luckily saved him from the very thing he had avoided earlier. Sophia’s aunt and uncle were so enraged with her meddling that they sent her from their house. Sophia took refuse in the church, trying to formulate her next move. Her life is about to change dramatically.I enjoyed these two characters very much. The author described them in depth, so that I felt that I knew them both. Each was witty, kind and honorable. Even though these two young people were put into very difficult situations, they were able to prove to themselves that they could overcome those things in their lives that were hurtful. The plot was easily followed and entertaining throughout. The secondary characters were also well developed, so you'll know some of the characters to her new book in the series. If you like happy ever after stories, don’t miss this one from Mary Balogh.
    • 3/5
      Returning from the war as a wounded soldier probably was not what to Vincent or his family wanted, but it is what happened. Once home, his family coddles him and tries to marry him off to someone who can pick up the mantle of his care. However, they have chosen a wicked, fortune seeking woman, so Vincent flees to avoid the marriage. Enter Sophie, a mild mannered mouse of a woman with no fortune or skills to carry her through life. In fact, her father’s scandal history makes her even more undesirable. Vincent wants to start over, and is convinced that marrying the woman of his own choosing will help him do this. Sophie just needs someone to help her find a place in life. They make an arrangement to marry and stay married for a year to hopefully solve their problems and resolve their issues. Can this arrangement work? Little do they realize just how much they need each other or how much they will come to resent the arrangement they have made. This book is an easy read, although it does lack any real suspense or thrill. There were no big sex scenes or angst over the relationship or anything else, for that matter. It is a book you can read when you need a break from all the intrigue and glory of other novels. However, the book might be a tad bit slow going for you, as it was for me. The concept behind the book is bit novel and a good one, but I think the execution could have been a bit better. I received this from Goodreads to read and review.
    • 5/5
      Afraid of a boring life, Vincent Hunt took a military commission, which promptly rendered him sightless in his first battle. Now, as the heir to a rambling estate, his mother and sisters are smothering him with solicitousness, to the point of trying to shackle him with a wife who "doesn't mind" that he can't see. What else can he do? He runs away with his valet to his humble beginnings.Sophia has led a difficult life. Born into the gentry, she has had to endure a reprobate father, a runaway mother, and upon losing both of them, she has been handed off to uncaring aunts who, each in their turn, turned her into a silent mouse left to sit in the corner to observe, rather than partake in life. But when her snooty aunt and uncle take it upon themselves to secure a wealthy, titled bachelor for her cousin, Sophia rescues Vincent from being led astray by her scheming relatives, and is thrown out for her trouble.Well aware of his predicament, Vincent is grateful for the rescue, and then horrified by the results of Sophia's kind assistance. What is an impulsive man to do? He can't leave her to wallow in squalor on the streets of London after her service. So he marries her instead.The story is brilliantly crafted. Like most marriages in that time period, the bride and groom hardly know each other, and yet there is a sympathy between them. They each want to be their own person, Vincent to regain his life and not use his blindness as a crutch, and Sophia to emerge from her silent corner to finally live her life.Ms. Balogh's novels are often a study in redemption. Her characters in this novel are well crafted, with both flaws and virtues. The creativity of the heroine neatly matches the desires of the hero, and the conflict that separates them is believable and not overdone. Her handicapped hero is likable and appealing, and there is no better foil for him than the once unattractive Cinderella-like character of Sophia. This novel is a keeper for my shelves, one that I will read many more times in the years to come
    • 4/5
      3.5 stars rounded up because, well it's Mary Balogh!

      This is a lovely romance, and Mary Balogh does a masterful job conveying the reality of everyday life for a blind man in the early 19th century. It's also a great marriage-of-convenience story between two people who really don't want to get married to anyone. I enjoyed once again seeing the members of the Survivor's Club.

      My only criticism is that I never really bought into the idea that these two people would part according to the terms of their 'arrangement.' Thus, there was no great drama in the story for me.
    • 4/5
      This is a typical romance in many ways and not so typical in others. We have the rich, newly minted viscount trying to avoid his marriage pushing family and the destitute by good hearted young woman who we all know is just perfect for him. But instead of making them hate each other at first sight our hero is blind! He can't see our heroine so he can't hate her at first sight, in fact he seems to form a liking for her at first hear.How different.She is also, from all descriptions, not a beauty! All of these deviations from the norm made this a really enjoyable novel and a truly delightful escape from my normal reading material. The characters were very well developed and given the genre, quite believable. I enjoyed the story and loved the ending. What more can you say for a romance novel? These two were certainly a couple to root for.